Duplicate Content - SES London

Identifying, Removing & Preventing Duplicate Content

@SamuelCrocker

London | 20–24 Feb, 2012 | #seslondon

Introduction

• Personally responsible for delivery for enterprise level clients in travel, retail/ecommerce, restaurants, entertainment, etc.

• Dealt with some really large, really ugly sites suffering from a number of these issues


@SamuelCrocker

Before we begin…


@SamuelCrocker

Single Site Issues


@SamuelCrocker

Old Architecture & Hoarders*


@SamuelCrocker *The worst offenders

The First Step is to Clean House


@SamuelCrocker

Target Suspected Duplicate Content First


@SamuelCrocker

Unknown Properties

Known Properties

An Idealistic Approach*


@SamuelCrocker

Step 1

Identify Duplicate

Content

*In my experience a short-midterm “fix” only makes these issues worse and more expensive in the LT

Now The Most Critical Part…


@SamuelCrocker

Step 1

Identify Duplicate

Content

Step 2

Create a sensible

I/A

http://www.slideshare.net/a4uexpo/successful-information-architecture-richard-baxter










Followed by the Delivery Part…


@SamuelCrocker

Step 3

Create mapping

and rewrite rules*

Step 1

Identify duplicate

Content

Step 2

Create a sensible

I/A

*You’re going to need a lot of time for this: which page currently ranks, which page converts better, etc.

Process is Important


@SamuelCrocker

Step 4

Create a process

and STICK TO IT*

*obviously processes need to evolve, but don’t forget how quickly this can get out of control (again)

Step 3

Create mapping

and rewrite rules

Step 1

Identify duplicate

Content

Step 2

Create a sensible

I/A

That’s Cool Sam, But In The Real World We Have Budgets


@SamuelCrocker

“That’s true [client], but organic traffic already accounts for [x]% of your online revenue - and by my estimates, getting this problem sorted could save you [x]% in PPC spend, as well as £x per month in link building - and contribute an additional [£X] in revenue... It would also greatly improve usability” “Just out of curiosity, how much money did you spend on TV and Display last year?”

“Legacy” & Other Orphan Pages


@SamuelCrocker

Ask for a full DB dump?

Dig through server logs?

Ask for a proper XML sitemap

External Links?

Yes No

301 to most relevant page, update links as

possible Lower Priority

PPC Landing Pages


@SamuelCrocker

Rel = canonical (if actually duplicate)

NOINDEX, FOLLOW also possible if not

Templated Solutions


@SamuelCrocker

Why Are You Doing it?


@SamuelCrocker

PPC Landing Pages?

Possible.

Plausible.

Not really.

Debatable.

Why Are You Doing it?


@SamuelCrocker

SEO Benefit?

*I’m not saying you can’t rank this way anymore, I’m just saying you have to work a lot harder and it’s not a great user experience

What You Should Be Doing


@SamuelCrocker

Focus on the high converting pages

Create (at a minimum) some unique content.

Focus on the high volume search queries

Create (at a minimum) some unique content.

And if you know you’re never going to have unique content

for some pages – noindex.

Product Descriptions


@SamuelCrocker

Product Descriptions – Big(ish) Budget


@SamuelCrocker

Big Budget

•Hire loads of in-house copywriters •Outsource quality UNIQUE content •Email newsletters for reviews (UGC) •Incentives for reviews (UGC) •Video product reviews + transcripts

•For every product •Video Sitemaps

Product Descriptions – Smaller Budgets


@SamuelCrocker

Smaller Budget

•Fiverr •Interns •UGC •Listen to Ralph

Problems from Sites You Don’t Control


@SamuelCrocker

Catch & Stop Your Competitors Scraping Your Content


@SamuelCrocker

Not Shady Options

1. Create a script to automatically set-up Google Alerts for the first couple sentences of everything you publish.

2. Snippet test your own content from time to time.

3. Use rel=canonical (if scraping entire source), infrequent.

4. Use rel=author on all internal links (can also be done in content) – makes more sense for bloggers.

5. Monitor server logs for traffic spikes and carefully block IPs

6. When all else fails, DMCA

Dealing with Relatively Innocent Image Theft


@SamuelCrocker

Oh look, link targets!

Less Innocent Image Theft/Hotlinking?


@SamuelCrocker

Mobile Sites


@SamuelCrocker

The Single URL SEO Camp


@SamuelCrocker

Champions

“Mobile copies of websites seem to me to be more likely to cause duplicate content issues, technical challenges, waste engineering resources and draw away attention from real mobile opportunities than to earn slightly higher rankings in mobile searches.”

- Rand Fishkin, 2011

The Mobile Site Camp


@SamuelCrocker

Champions

“In my experience, duplicate content doesn’t apply to the mobile paradigm.”

- Bryson Meunier, 2012

Source: http://bit.ly/xwHmeW

http://bit.ly/xwHmeW

A Mobile Specific Experience is Preferable


@SamuelCrocker

• A mobile specific experience is *usually* preferable based on the data I have seen (conversions, rankings, keyword targeting, etc.).

Source: Morgan Stanley

BUT, a Separate Mobile Site Should Serve a Purpose


@SamuelCrocker

Local monthly searches (mobile) Local monthly searches (desktop)

Car hire 8100 90500

Car rental 4400 33100

Car hire is 2.73x more searched than car rental

Desktop

Car hire is 1.8x more searched than car rental

Mobile

Target both terms on homepage. Focus on car hire.

In which case duplicate content shouldn’t be an issue anyhow.

You Can’t Ignore Mobile, But Use Resource Wisely


@SamuelCrocker

• If you can achieve a better experience using style sheets and do not have the resource or need to target mobile users differently (with your content and/or UX) then a single URL solution will make your life easier.

Problems With International/Multi-lingual Domains


@SamuelCrocker

Translation & Other Issues from International Domains


@SamuelCrocker

Bigger Budget

•Localise – do not translate •Never machine translate •Be wary of your local market resources (check Wikipedia) •ccTLD’s for all markets (personal preference) •Be very careful with your Geotargeting settings in Webmaster tools •Unique servers/physical addreses (ideally) for each country

Translation & Other Issues from International Domains


@SamuelCrocker

Smaller Budget

•Manual human translation preferred, even if direct translation. •If you must auto-translate, block non-unique pages with Robots.txt •Make sure you try to adhere to one language per URL •Hreflang: use with caution.

•Perhaps most appropriate for GB and US situations.

Problems from Controlling Multiple Similar Sites, in the same niche.


@SamuelCrocker

Multiple Brands/Sites, Same Niche?


@SamuelCrocker

Choose a brand voice and stick to it.

*It can be a hassle but tying this into everything you do can help ensure unique content.



@SamuelCrocker

Only speak to one audience at a time



@SamuelCrocker

Prioritise and go with what converts!

Rapid Fire Survival Tips: Questions You Should Constantly be Asking


@SamuelCrocker

Why does this property exist?


@SamuelCrocker

Who are we trying to target?

When do we want to send users here?

What terms tie into that user journey?

Why did we choose this page/focus?


@SamuelCrocker

Know your strategy Support it with

numbers.

Why are we joining this new platform?


@SamuelCrocker

What about problems on existing sites?

What resource would this require?

Where will this content come from?

What benefit do we expect?

Finally: Is it worth rocking the boat?


@SamuelCrocker

Image Credits • Dolly - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8169817/Dolly-the-Sheep-reborn-as-four-new-clones-created.html

• Overwhelmed: http://comerecommended.com/blog/2011/09/13/dealing-with-feeling-overwhelmed-at-work/

• Single- http://www.davidwygant.com/blog/being-single-means-no-bitching-allowed/7280/

• Hoarding: http://coverlaydown.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/messy.jpg

• Clean Office: http://www.momoy.info/uploads/interior-design/June-09/syzygy-office-02.jpg

• Pandshake: http://www.genzel.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Stephen-Harper-best-pm-ever.jpg

• Two Camps: http://www.summarynewspaper.com/high-winds-hit-the-two-camps-on-mount-everest/1735.html

• Sumo: http://www.quicksprout.com/images/littlebig.jpg

• Scrapers: http://seomemes.com/post/6314149329/scrapers-gonna-scrape

• Graffiti: http://raymondpward.typepad.com/newlegalwriter/2009/08/graffiti.html

• Pick your battles: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62656583/pick-your-battles-red-8x10-screenprint


@SamuelCrocker

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8169817/Dolly-the-Sheep-reborn-as-four-new-clones-created.html

















http://comerecommended.com/blog/2011/09/13/dealing-with-feeling-overwhelmed-at-work/











http://www.davidwygant.com/blog/being-single-means-no-bitching-allowed/7280/











http://coverlaydown.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/messy.jpg



http://www.momoy.info/uploads/interior-design/June-09/syzygy-office-02.jpg









http://www.genzel.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Stephen-Harper-best-pm-ever.jpg











http://www.summarynewspaper.com/high-winds-hit-the-two-camps-on-mount-everest/1735.html

















http://www.quicksprout.com/images/littlebig.jpg

http://seomemes.com/post/6314149329/scrapers-gonna-scrape





http://raymondpward.typepad.com/newlegalwriter/2009/08/graffiti.html

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62656583/pick-your-battles-red-8x10-screenprint











Duplicate Content - SES London

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